This marvel located in Utah USA, is a perfect example of how both horizontal and vertical cirtulation complement each other and fulfill the requirements that every building, specially a public one such as a City Library must achieve. Below it'll be described the circulation of the SLCL and how the structure is connected to the enviroment even when it's far away from it.
The outside of the library is established by a main Plaza located at the south of the structure that can be accessed from an organic path that appears to be line up by the curves of the ground, a big ramp that gives the visitors access to the roof that also works as a secondary plaza and provides an excellent view of the city and some of its important buildings (the University, the stadium, the City County Building, etc.). Something that gives the building dynamism is that it offers four accessible facades each one with wide open spaces so people not feel trapped. Also its own structure reflect the idea of a spiral circulation marked specially by the north and south walls and in the interior by oval staircase, spiral stairs and corridors that follows the building structure; it's not common to see straight passageways, even studio and computer rooms have curve walls and curve furnitures. Inside the library we can see a main atrium that becomes the horizontal and vertical fulcrum wich is what defines the rest of the building and all of its spaces. It has five floors with different activities in each one, all of them can be accessed by elevators or the oval/curve stair system that's distributed throughout the building.
To conclude the SLCL besides committed with the city, specially with its enviroment shows us how important is to mark vertical circulation and to play with it to create more ways to distribute the people than just elevators or emergency stairs, the fact that every floor is connected somehow it's amazing, something that it's hard to acomplish and this library does it easily.
This marvel located in Utah USA, is a perfect example of how both horizontal and vertical cirtulation complement each other and fulfill the requirements that every building, specially a public one such as a City Library must achieve. Below it'll be described the circulation of the SLCL and how the structure is connected to the enviroment even when it's far away from it.
The outside of the library is established by a main Plaza located at the south of the structure that can be accessed from an organic path that appears to be line up by the curves of the ground, a big ramp that gives the visitors access to the roof that also works as a secondary plaza and provides an excellent view of the city and some of its important buildings (the University, the stadium, the City County Building, etc.). Something that gives the building dynamism is that it offers four accessible facades each one with wide open spaces so people not feel trapped. Also its own structure reflect the idea of a spiral circulation marked specially by the north and south walls and in the interior by oval staircase, spiral stairs and corridors that follows the building structure; it's not common to see straight passageways, even studio and computer rooms have curve walls and curve furnitures. Inside the library we can see a main atrium that becomes the horizontal and vertical fulcrum wich is what defines the rest of the building and all of its spaces. It has five floors with different activities in each one, all of them can be accessed by elevators or the oval/curve stair system that's distributed throughout the building.
To conclude the SLCL besides committed with the city, specially with its enviroment shows us how important is to mark vertical circulation and to play with it to create more ways to distribute the people than just elevators or emergency stairs, the fact that every floor is connected somehow it's amazing, something that it's hard to acomplish and this library does it easily.